Bangladesh: Goods train collides with passenger train killing 17

Two trains have collided in eastern Bangladesh killing at least 17 people, and leaving many others injured. 

A freight train slammed into the rear coaches of a passenger train in Bhairab on Monday afternoon. 

A rail official told BBC Bengali that a signal error was likely the cause of the collision. 

Poor infrastructure in Bangladesh means train collisions are common in the country. 

“Many people got trapped inside after the collision. Most of the people died on the spot,” the chief of the local fire service, Mohammad Masud, told reporters.

The death toll could continue to rise as at least 50 people remain in hospital injured. 

Hospital staff struggled to deal with the influx of injured, prompting them to call for reinforcements from nearby medical facilities.

Bangladeshi authorities have launched a formal investigation into what caused the accident.